


Like a Cowboy

by simplyn2deep



Series: Shots of Sterek [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Western, Community: 1_million_words, Community: fullmoon_ficlet, Cowboys, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-03-16 12:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3487868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyn2deep/pseuds/simplyn2deep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek and Stiles are reunited after a summer apart.</p><p><b>Chapter 6:</b> Written for the word <i>escape</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=1_million_words)[1_million_words](http://www.livejournal.com/community/1_million_words/) [Day 5 100 in 100 Drabble/Icon Challenge](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/1099486.html).

Derek sighed as he watched a few ranch-hands with their morning work. A bunch of pansies if you asked him. He missed the days of the roughneck workers who didn't need to be coddled throughout the day.

From behind, he could hear his father talking to Sheriff Stilinski, thanking him for agreeing to take his son on for the summer. Derek turned to watch them, but made sure to keep an ear out on the workers in the barn.

"Think nothing of it, Sheriff," Derek's father, Robert, said. "I heard from the Argents that he was a great help for them last summer. Shame he chose not to go back to them this summer."

The Sheriff shrugged. "Couldn't get out of him why he didn't want to go back, but can't say I'm not glad to have him closer. He's always been fond of the Hale Ranch," he said, "ever since he was a kid and his mother was alive, God rest her soul."

Robert nodded in agreement. "He always did get on well with my kids and it'd be nice to have proper help around here. Make things easier on Derek."

"Not too easy, though," the Sheriff said. "Stiles hasn't exactly grown out of his...ways, if you know what I mean."

+=+

"Hey Derek," Stiles said as he joined joined him at the fence. "Your dad tell you the news?"

Derek nodded his head as he took his hat off and beat it against his leg to get some of the dust off. "Yeah. I was told."

"And...?" Stiles asked.

"And what?" Derek asked as he look down at Stiles.

Stiles gave him an incredulous look before shaking his head and turning to walk away. "I can tell you're just thrilled about me being here. Maybe I should have taken Kate up on her offer to be there permanently..."

Derek reached out and grabbed Stiles' arm to stop him. "You and I both know you wouldn't have done that."

Stiles looked at Derek's hand on his arm and shrugged out of his grasp. "Maybe, maybe not," Stiles said as he looked up at Derek. "But at least she acted like she was happy to see me." Stiles kept his eyes on Derek for several minutes until the man turned his eyes back to the cattle he was watching in the field. "Thought so. I'll be at Doc Deaton's checking on that new calf."


	2. Horseshoes and Nails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles gets injured while working on the Ranch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for prompt 114: sharp at [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fullmoon_ficlet)[fullmoon_ficlet](http://www.livejournal.com/community/fullmoon_ficlet/)

Rushing through the entrance of the emergency room, John was met with a cacophony that was Beacon Hills Hospital on a weekend in the summer. Locals waiting to be seen for various injuries as well as the influx of tourist who were in town for the annual roping and bull riding competition and wanted to try their hand at being a big shot cowboy – for a few seconds at least.

John peeked in a couple of rooms searching for his son before he heard his familiar voice and followed it to a triage area that had a curtain surrounding it for some illusion of privacy.

“I'm fine, Derek,” Stiles insisted. “The horse didn't get me too badly.”

Derek sighed. “So you've said. But obviously it's bad enough that Deaton told you to come here and called Melissa to let her know we were on our way.”

Pulling the curtain back to make himself know, John stepped into the enclosed area and took in the condition of his son.

“Well, what happened, this time, Stiles?” he asked.

Stiles groaned and dropped his head back against the raised exam bed. “You called my dad too?!”

“No, I didn't,” Derek said. “When would I have had the time? Between getting the spooked horse under control or trying to get you to sit your ass down so that Deaton could look at your arm...”

“I called him,” Melissa said as she breezed into the room. “He's your emergency contact and the doctor who first checked you out was concerned that you may have to have surgery on your arm.”

“What?!” Stiles, Derek and John said at the same time.

“I didn't think it was that bad...,” Stiles said.

“Would someone tell me what the hell happened?!” John demanded.

Stiles jumped some at his father's harsh tone, but it was Derek who responded, “Stiles was helping one of the guys re-shoe an old mare, she spooked and clipped Stiles on the arm.”

John moved closer to his son to inspect the wound. Sure enough, there was a deep gouge crossing his arm. The deepest was in the center of the cut. He knew Stiles would have to have surgery to repair any damage to the muscle.

“A horseshoe did that?” he asked.

Stiles made a sound in the back of his throat and John looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Horseshoe and a brand new, really sharp nail.”

John sighed and sat in the chair in the corner. “And the attending doctor thought surgery?” he asked.

Melissa nodded her head. “Unfortunately stitches wouldn't do any good.”

“What are we going to do with you kid?” John asked. “You gotta be more careful.”

“Hey!” Stiles exclaimed indignantly. “This wasn't my fault. The kid I was helping didn't know a damn thing about what he was doing!”

“He's right, sir,” Derek reluctantly said in agreement. “I'm going to have to talk to my dad about him. He shouldn't have been working on Tess by himself. As it is, she only allows me, Stiles or Laura to work with her.”

Stiles gave his father a smug grin at just the moment when Melissa gave him a shot of preventative antibiotics. Stiles yelped in pain and with his other hand reached over to rub at the spot on his arm that was poked with the needle. Derek stopped his hand before he could come in contact with his loosely bandaged arm.

“Rude!” Stiles said to Melissa and Derek.

“The doctor should be in with the surgeon to check on the arm again and decide what to do next.”


	3. Straight Line, My Ass!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Derek argue over the placements of posts for a new enclosure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for prompt 124: Crooked at [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fullmoon_ficlet)[fullmoon_ficlet](http://www.livejournal.com/community/fullmoon_ficlet/)

It was before dawn when Derek arrived at the Ranch and was very surprised to see Stiles' beat up blue jeep parked on the side of the barn. He'd only been cleared to do light work the week before and his father purposefully scheduled Stiles to come in mid-morning when a lot the _heavy lifting_ had been completed for the morning.

Walking the path from the car park and around the barn, Derek could hear muttered cursing and the rumble of the new fence post driver that was purchased the day before. Derek watched as Stiles fiddled with some of the settings and curse again when he didn't get the outcome he wanted.

“What the hell are you doing, Stiles?!” Derek demanded.

Stiles jumped, banging his likely still sore arm, on the side of the machine. “Derek!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here so early?”

Derek raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. “It's quarter to six. This is the time I always come in.” Derek walked closer to Stiles. “But you on the other hand, aren't supposed to be in for another three or four hours.”

“Well,” Stiles hesitated, “when I came in yesterday I noticed the line for the posts for the new fence was crooked and I mentioned it to your dad...”

“And...you thought you'd come in and what? Try to fix it?” Derek questioned.

“Yes. That's exactly it,” Stiles said.

Derek paused. “Huh. I didn't think you'd admit to it so fast.” Stiles rolled his eyes. “And the line isn't crooked.”

“Yes it is,” Stiles said as he hopped down from the machine. “I even took some rope to connect the posts and from the post hole to the fifth hole, it goes back about six inches. From the seventh hole to the last hole it's back to being level with the first five holes.”

Derek glared at Stiles. “The holes are not out of alignment..”

“Yes they are...” Stiles sang-songed and held out the rope he used the day before. “If you don't believe me, you can measure for yourself. Or ask your dad. He said something about having you do them over today.”

Two hours later, when Robert came back from town, he found his son and Stiles still bickering over the placement of the holes. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he went to get them back on task. The new cattle enclosure wasn't going to build itself, and if they kept up anymore, the rest of the work that needed to be done would never get finished.


	4. Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing good ever happens when Kate Argent is around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written for Prompt 133: Tame at [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fullmoon_ficlet)[fullmoon_ficlet](http://www.livejournal.com/community/fullmoon_ficlet/)
> 
> Title from the song "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones. Also, I know nothing about horses, ranches or being a cowboy or ranch-hand.

Standing off to the side, Laura watched as Derek tried to break in the horse their father recently purchased from the Argents. She knew if anyone could tame that stallion, it would be Derek. She only hoped he was able to do so before the start of the next show season.

Laura knew he could do it. Derek was a master at taming wild or horses deemed too violent. He'd done it several years earlier and got the family a nice bit of change when he sold the horse after she won a barreling competition.

“Well, well, well...look at what the horses dragged in...,” Kate said as she rode her dappled stallion towards the fence.

Laura turned and glared at her. “What are you doing here?”

Kate gave a non-committal shrug as she turned her attention to Derek and the horse he was working with. “Just taking Wolfsbane for a stroll as I wait for my brother to finish whatever deal he has with your father.”

“Oh, I'm sure,” Laura replied. “It's a good ten miles to Marseilles. I didn't think she was up for the ride so soon after her accident.” Marseilles being the name of the Argent family's ranch.

“I'm not at Marseilles anymore,” Kate said. “I'm staying up with road with some acquaintances. You might know them? Ennis and Kali? Such nice people. Told me they'd help me get back on my feet since my father no longer has the...funds...to do so.”

“Laura!” Stiles called out from where he was standing next to Derek, who looked like he wanted to set Kate on fire, if his glare was anything to go by.

“What do you need, Stiles?” Laura yelled back.

“Phone call for you. Deaton said he needs to see you right away,” Stiles yelled.

“Is that Stiles?” Kate asked in mock interest. “He seems to have healed up from his accident at Marseilles.”

Laura whipped around to look at Kate. “Accident? What accident?” Laura demanded.

Kate grinned in response. “Oh, he hasn't told you? Well, that's not good.” She turned her horse to trot back the way they'd come. “I'll be seeing you at the competition next week, Laura.”

Laura hopped the fence and made her way towards Derek and Stiles. Her mind was buzzing with what Kate just said. She knew Stiles spent a few seasons working with the Argents, but she could never get Stiles to say what made him not want to work for them anymore.

“Was that...” Stiles quickly shut his mouth at the glare that Laura leveled him with.

“Deaton wanted me?” Laura said. Stiles nodded his head. “Well take me to him.” Laura continued walking towards the gravel lot where she knew Stiles liked parking his jeep.

Stiles looked at Derek but of course the he was already back to working with the stallion. “Right, then...I'll just go drive Laura around,” he mumbled as he ran to catch up to Laura.


	5. You're Not the Boss of Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for prompt #139 Command at [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fullmoon_ficlet)[fullmoon_ficlet](http://www.livejournal.com/community/fullmoon_ficlet/).

Ever since that fateful day Kate Argent rode back into town, Laura's been an ever present fixture around the Ranch, and especially around Stiles. This was enough to make Derek really wonder what was going on.

A little traitorous voice in the back of his head routinely asked, 'are they dating?' But Derek knew that wasn't it. Laura was in a relationship and he knew Stiles would have said something, hinted at it, at the very least.

But neither of them would say anything about what was going on and it was getting under his skin, not knowing about what had his sister around so much, and why she was stuck like glue to Stiles.

"I could force you...," Derek says out of the blue one afternoon. Stiles and Laura turn to look at him. "To tell me what's going on between the two of you."

Laura snorted while Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Baby bro, you can't force me to do anything," Laura responded at the same time Stiles said, "you aren't the boss of me."

"Then as your brother," Derek said looking at Laura, "and as your friend," he said to Stiles, "why won't you tell me what's going on?"

"Why?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow. "So you can make it better?"

"Is there something that needs to be fixed?" he asked.

Stiles groaned and threw his head back. "Nothing is wrong. Nothing is going on between me and your sister. You know she's not the Hale for me. I would have told you."

Derek was about to respond when the familiar sounds of a horse running at full speed caught his attention. He turned to see Boyd quickly approaching. Moving to the other side of the fence, Derek met his friend.

"Boyd...everything okay?" Derek asked.

"Sheriff and Robert got into a bit of a scrap with some rustlers on the other side of the property," Boyd replied. "Couldn't see who they were, but the horses were Argent branded."

Derek swore but before he could actually respond, Laura was calling for Stiles, who had hopped on the back of the closest horse and took off the direction Boyd came from. Derek got on back of the stallion he was working with and took off after Stiles.

"Laura, go with Boyd and see if you can find where those rustlers got to!" Derek called out. "If you find them, give Parrish a call."


	6. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles knows Kate is responsible for the attack. He doesn't understand why they won't go after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for prompt # 143 Escape at [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fullmoon_ficlet)[fullmoon_ficlet](http://www.livejournal.com/community/fullmoon_ficlet/)

When Stiles reached the clearing where his dad and Robert were, it didn't look like anything was wrong. That was until John turned around and Stiles could see the white bandage, already soaking through with blood. Derek, having caught up with Stiles pretty quickly, was already off his horse and going to check on the bandages that he knew Boyd had quickly applied to Robert and the Sheriff's shoulders.

"Stiles, what are you doing here?" the Sheriff asked. He looked at Derek, "what's my son doing here?"

Stiles got off the horse he rode and approached his dad. He made a wounded noise in the back of his throat as he took in the bandage and blood. "Dad...what happened?"

"It all happened kind of fast," Robert said. "Boyd, Isaac and I were checking on the cattle out here and noticed about 75 of them or so were missing. We went searching for them. It was Isaac who found them. Nearly out of our property and on to Argent's land. Isaac called for me and Boyd when the men drew on him."

"Where's Isaac at now?" Derek asked.

"I sent him to get the Sheriff and call on Deaton to meet us back at the Ranch," Robert replied.

"By the time I got here, from the Argent side, the guys were already spooked. One of the pulled the trigger of his guy, then the others followed suit. Eventually they took off. Boyd bandaged us up and I sent him to get you," the Sheriff added. "Where is he?"

"I sent him and Laura to get Parrish and look for the men," Derek said.

Stiles had been listening to what his father and Robert were saying and he knew Kate was responsible for the attack.

"Why don't you just go up to Argent and arrest Kate?" he asked. "We all know she's behind this."

"It's not that simple and you know it, Stiles." the Sheriff says. "Yes, the rustlers were riding Argent branded horses, but they could have stole them and used them."

Stiles snorts at that. "Right. Someone stole from Argent and they're still alive?" he shakes his head. "No, Kate's behind this. She's behind every bad thing that ever happens in this town."

Derek didn't say anything, but he did agree with Stiles. Usually when something bad happened in town, Kate or someone affiliated with the Argent's was behind it, but the law could never get anything to stick to put them away.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I don't know where this came from. One of the prompts was _Like a Cowboy_ and I was going to be this be a _City Slickers_ -ish fic where Derek was the cowboy and Stiles was the city slicker, but then it morphed into what it is now.
> 
> Also, this was supposed to be 100 words, but you can see that it isn't. heh


End file.
